Thursday, January 18, 2007

The Ice is finally gone! Everyone got to go back to school today. Rehm's school was delayed 2 hours (9:40 start), Charlotte's school was delayed 1 hour (10:30 start) and Ruby had a doctor appointment at 10:10. Yes, you are right I couldn't possibly be at all of those places at those times. So I dropped Rehm off at school and headed toward the doctor's office where I hoped to meet Michael at 10:00 so he could take Charlotte to school. For those of you who don't know, I drove Charlotte about 10 miles past her school to do this. Of course traffic was a nightmare, so I didn't get to the doctor's office until 10:25 so of course Charlotte didn't get to school at 10:30.

The Charlotte exchange was pretty comical. I unbuckled her from one car seat, buckled her in the other and handed Michael her backpack. Then they were off. About 15 minutes later I got a call from Michael that he didn't have her lunch box. Oops - it was still in Henry. Packed and ready to go but in the wrong car. Luckily when Michael was asking one of the teachers about lunch time so I would know when the have her lunch there they offered to make her a lunch so I wouldn't have to drop it by. Can I just say that made my day.

Ruby has another ear infection! This is her fifth one since the beginning of November. So after leaving the pediatrician I got to call the ENT to make an appointment to talk about getting tubes put in. Unfortunately he can't see her until the end of the month a few days after she finishes her antibiotic. Hopefully, she can make it to that appointment before she has another flare up. Poor baby. She did not sleep well last night and I spent most of the night in the recliner with her. It made me glad we splurged and bought the recliner - it was supposed to be my nursing chair for the twins but unfortunately nursing didn't work out. But it still gets plenty of use. Last night it was much more comfy that the couch would have been.

OK by now you are wondering what all of this has to do with stroller stalking

After the doctor and dropping of Ruby's Rx we went to the mall to return some stainless steel flatware. It was a Christmas present that I truly was thrilled to get. Unfortunately when we washed it the first time it came out of the dishwasher with RUST on it! I didn't think stainless steel could do that. So I'll be looking for new flatware soon.

While at the mall I saw a lady with a double stroller I had considered purchasing . However, I could not find one in real life to look at and did not want to purchase it sight unseen as it was really expensive. So I decided on a combi instead (which I love). But when I saw this one today I wanted to get a closer look. So I followed the lady through the mall trying to nonchalantly catch up with her so I could check it out, find out where she got it and see if she liked it. Unfortunately I lost her. I'm still really bummed about this.

When I mentioned the stroller stalking to Michael he thought it was the craziest and dumbest thing ever. I think the exact response was "You did what? Why? Why would you even think about that when your already committed to another stroller?" So he obviously didn't get it but I'm sure some of you ladies out there will.

Why is it on days you don’t do laundry one kid has an accident in their bed the night before (and doesn’t bother to tell you until going to bed tonight) and the other throws up on the futon? Do they have some kind of “Mom has too much laundry to do let me really over whelm her” radar?

Off to do more laundry and make my grocery list. Oh boy, tomorrow I get to go to the grocery store with all three girls. That is always an adventure. Just a little public service anouncement. When you see someone pushing a stroller through the grocery store while pulling a cart behind them. Please smile nicely and give them plenty of room for turning down aisles. It really is as hard as it looks.

Our Cast

This is what happens when two math geeks marry and have four kids!

JennI am a stay at home mom. I love to quilt, sew, craft, blog and read. Sometimes I love to cook, sometimes I hate it, mostly because no one will help with menu planning but everyone complains about what I serve. I hate doing laundry and dishes. I love a good novel, but am not much of a non-fiction or literature reader . I love animals and rescue. In addition to our four two-legged kids, we also have three four-legged kids, plus an extra long term four-legged guest. Having a foster dog or two is not that unusual for us as I am a sucker for an animal in need. I love my kids and being a mom, except for when I want to run away from it all. In my next life I would like a clean house.

MichaelOur crazy leader. He loves all things Texas A&M (whoop!), college football, good beer, coaching kids sports, and his family. He even loves his wife enough to put up with all her crazy ideas, pets, and foster pets.

Sam-I-AmOur firstborn Samuel Frank who died at birth in 1999. He was our gorgeous, curly, red-headed baby boy. He may not be with us on earth but he is still a big part of our family. We miss every day and love him very much.

Le PresidentOur oldest son Rehm. He is my walking encyclopedia. He loves politics, band, scouts, friends, school, learning, debating, leadership, and being right about everything, even when he's not. We affectionately call him Captain Oblivious because if there is something happening that he is not the center of he is completely clueless. He is currently binge watching The West Wing and mad that we didn't clue him in to the show ages ago. He only likes to read non-fiction, which I really don't understand.

LatteOur oldest daughter. She is the most empathetic girl I know. She loves school, swim, dancing (even though she doesn't take lessons but will be part of the middle school team in the fall), performing, and all things social. She is loud and dramatic, mostly in a good way. She hates riding long distances in the car. She is as stubborn as her mother, especially when dealing with her mother.

RubyliciousOur feisty second daughter. She is very dramatic. Her world is one of extremes. There is never any doubt about how Ruby feels about something or someone. She loves gymnastics, reading, friends, arts and crafts, making a mess, and her pets. Ruby is currently reading the Beverly Cleary Ramona series and the Junie B. Jones books.

DirtOur cautious third daughter. She is very sensitive and likes to do things in her own way and own time. She loves to play sports, any kind of competition, getting dirty, being tough, reading, playing with the neighbors, being in the middle of the action, choir, and scouts. She dislikes change of any kind for any reason. Eliza Claire is currently reading the Little House on the Prairie series and just finished the Percy Jackson series.